The Federal Government on Wednesday admonished
organised Labour to consider the broader economic implications of its push for
an unrealistic higher national minimum wage.
The Minister of Information and National
Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who handed down the admonition, hinted that the
N250,000 minimum wage demanded by labour could undermine the economy, lead to
mass retrenchment of workers and jeopardise the welfare of Nigerians.
However, the labour unions refuted President Bola
Tinubu’s claims during his Democracy Day broadcast on Wednesday that an
agreement had been reached on the new national minimum wage.
Acting President of the Nigeria Labour Congress,
Prince Adewale Adeyanju, said as of the time negotiations ended on June
7, no agreement had been reached by the Tripartite Committee on the
National Minimum Wage.
Adeyanju is acting on behalf of the NLC president,
Joe Ajaero, who is attending an International Labour Organisation
conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
Tinubu drew the ire of the unions after stating that
his administration would soon submit an executive bill to the National Assembly
to codify the agreements reached in the minimum wage negotiations between
Labour, the private sector, the states and the Federal Government.
The parties had engaged in prolonged talks for weeks
with the unions insisting on N250,000 minimum wage while the Federal Government
and the Organised Private Sector offered N62,000.
However, the state governors said they would not be
able to sustain any minimum wage higher than N60,000.
Dismissing the offers made by the Federal Government
and the OPS, the labour unions said they would not negotiate what they
described as ‘starvation wage.’
N62,000 not acceptable
The Assistant General Secretary of the NLC, Chris
Onyeka, said Labour would not accept the latest offer of N62,000 and the
N100,000 proposal made by some individuals and economists.
This was as the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, said the
unionists were waiting on the President to consider Labour’s proposal.
But speaking at the opening of the 2024 Synod of the
Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria in Abuja on Wednesday, the
information minister emphasised the imperative of a realistic wage system that
safeguards against mass retrenchment while addressing workers’ needs.
Idris restated the government’s dedication to
reassessing the minimum wage but cautioned against demands that could disrupt
the economy.
He stated, “As I have repeatedly said, the Federal
Government is not opposed to the increase of wages for Nigerian workers but we
keep on advocating for a realistic and sustainable wage system for the workers
– a wage system that will not undermine the economy, lead to mass retrenchment
of workers and jeopardise the welfare of about 200 million Nigerians.
“We want the labour unions to understand that the
relief that Nigerians are expecting, and that they fully deserve, will not come
only in the form of an increase in wages.”
He highlighted the ongoing efforts to alleviate the
cost of living, citing initiatives like the Presidential Compressed Natural Gas
programme aimed at reducing transportation expenses by 50 per cent.
While advocating wage increases, Idris
stressed the importance of holistic relief measures beyond salary adjustments,
urging Labour to recognise the significance of programmes like the CNG
initiative in enhancing citizens’ purchasing power.
“It will also come as an effort to reduce the
cost of living and to ensure that more money stays in the pockets of Nigerians.
And this is where programmes like the Presidential CNG initiative come in.
“By replacing or complementing petrol usage with
CNG, that programme alone will cut transportation costs by as much as 50 per
cent,” he claimed.
The minister called on religious leaders to assist
in raising public awareness about government initiatives and efforts.
Religious leaders
He stressed the crucial role of the clergy in
disseminating information about available opportunities and the government’s
ongoing efforts.
“As a government, we need your support,
advice, and feedback,” Idris stated.
“Very importantly, we need you to be aware of the
efforts being made and the challenges being faced so that you can help us
communicate these to your congregations and the general public,” he added.
The minister highlighted the influential platforms
of religious leaders, noting their potential to enlighten Nigerians on their
rights, responsibilities, and the economic opportunities provided by the
policies under the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The agenda, he noted, aimed to promote economic
rebirth, strengthen national security, boost agriculture and food security, and
transform infrastructure and transportation.
“Information and awareness are critical, and this is
where our religious leaders come in. You have very influential platforms that
can enlighten Nigerians on their rights, responsibilities, and the abundance of
economic opportunities being thrown up by the policies and programmes being
implemented under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu,” he
explained.
In his remarks, the National President of the
Charismatic Bishop Conference, Archbishop Leonard Kawas, reaffirmed the
organisation’s unwavering support for Tinubu’s administration, emphasising
their commitment to collaborative efforts to realise the nation’s collective
aspirations.
‘No agreement yet’
In their reaction to the President’s national
broadcast, Adeyanju disagreed with Tinubu’s statement that his administration
negotiated in good faith and with open arms with Organised Labour on the new
national minimum wage.
Tinubu during his broadcast stated, “In this spirit,
we have negotiated in good faith and with open arms with organised Labour on a
new national minimum wage. We shall soon send an executive bill to the National
Assembly to enshrine what has been agreed upon as part of our law for the next
five years or less.
“In the face of labour’s call for a national strike,
we did not seek to oppress or crack down on the workers as a dictatorial
government would have done. We chose the path of cooperation over conflict.
“No one was arrested or threatened. Instead,
the labour leadership was invited to break bread and negotiate toward a
good-faith resolution.
“Reasoned discussion and principled compromise are
hallmarks of democracy. These themes shall continue to animate my policies and
interaction with the constituent parts of our political economy.”
The Federal Government on Wednesday admonished
organised Labour to consider the broader economic implications of its push for
an unrealistic higher national minimum wage.
The Minister of Information and National
Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who handed down the admonition, hinted that the
N250,000 minimum wage demanded by labour could undermine the economy, lead to
mass retrenchment of workers and jeopardise the welfare of Nigerians.
However, the labour unions refuted President
Bola Tinubu’s claims during his Democracy Day broadcast on Wednesday that an
agreement had been reached on the new national minimum wage.
Acting President of the Nigeria Labour
Congress, Prince Adewale Adeyanju, said as of the time negotiations ended on
June 7, no agreement had been reached by the Tripartite Committee on the
National Minimum Wage.
Adeyanju is acting on behalf of the NLC
president, Joe Ajaero, who is attending an International Labour
Organisation conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
Tinubu drew the ire of the unions after
stating that his administration would soon submit an executive bill to the
National Assembly to codify the agreements reached in the minimum wage
negotiations between Labour, the private sector, the states and the Federal
Government.
The parties had engaged in prolonged talks for
weeks with the unions insisting on N250,000 minimum wage while the Federal
Government and the Organised Private Sector offered N62,000.
However, the state governors said they would
not be able to sustain any minimum wage higher than N60,000.
Dismissing the offers made by the Federal
Government and the OPS, the labour unions said they would not negotiate what
they described as ‘starvation wage.’
N62,000 not acceptable
The Assistant General Secretary of the NLC,
Chris Onyeka, said Labour would not accept the latest offer of N62,000 and the
N100,000 proposal made by some individuals and economists.
· Latest: Tinubu Appoints Nkiruka
Maduekwe As National Council On Climate Change CEO
· Minimum Wage: Labour Proposed To
Meet, May Resume Strike On Tuesday
· Latest: Tinubu Names Abuja Road After Chinua
Achebe
This was as the NLC President, Joe Ajaero,
said the unionists were waiting on the President to consider Labour’s proposal.
But speaking at the opening of the 2024 Synod
of the Charismatic Bishops Conference of Nigeria in Abuja on Wednesday, the
information minister emphasised the imperative of a realistic wage system that
safeguards against mass retrenchment while addressing workers’ needs.
Idris restated the government’s dedication to
reassessing the minimum wage but cautioned against demands that could disrupt
the economy.
He stated, “As I have repeatedly said,
the Federal Government is not opposed to the increase of wages for Nigerian
workers but we keep on advocating for a realistic and sustainable wage system
for the workers – a wage system that will not undermine the economy, lead to
mass retrenchment of workers and jeopardise the welfare of about 200 million
Nigerians.
“We want the labour unions to understand that
the relief that Nigerians are expecting, and that they fully deserve, will not
come only in the form of an increase in wages.”
He highlighted the ongoing efforts to
alleviate the cost of living, citing initiatives like the Presidential
Compressed Natural Gas programme aimed at reducing transportation expenses by
50 per cent.
While advocating wage increases, Idris
stressed the importance of holistic relief measures beyond salary adjustments,
urging Labour to recognise the significance of programmes like the CNG
initiative in enhancing citizens’ purchasing power.
“It will also come as an effort to
reduce the cost of living and to ensure that more money stays in the pockets of
Nigerians. And this is where programmes like the Presidential CNG initiative
come in.
“By replacing or complementing petrol usage
with CNG, that programme alone will cut transportation costs by as much as 50
per cent,” he claimed.
The minister called on religious leaders
to assist in raising public awareness about government initiatives and efforts.
Religious leaders
He stressed the crucial role of the clergy in
disseminating information about available opportunities and the government’s
ongoing efforts.
“As a government, we need your support,
advice, and feedback,” Idris stated.
“Very importantly, we need you to be aware of
the efforts being made and the challenges being faced so that you can help us
communicate these to your congregations and the general public,” he added.
The minister highlighted the influential
platforms of religious leaders, noting their potential to enlighten Nigerians
on their rights, responsibilities, and the economic opportunities provided by
the policies under the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The agenda, he noted, aimed to promote
economic rebirth, strengthen national security, boost agriculture and food
security, and transform infrastructure and transportation.
“Information and awareness are critical, and
this is where our religious leaders come in. You have very influential
platforms that can enlighten Nigerians on their rights, responsibilities, and
the abundance of economic opportunities being thrown up by the policies and
programmes being implemented under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola
Tinubu,” he explained.
In his remarks, the National President
of the Charismatic Bishop Conference, Archbishop Leonard Kawas, reaffirmed the
organisation’s unwavering support for Tinubu’s administration, emphasising
their commitment to collaborative efforts to realise the nation’s collective
aspirations.
‘No agreement yet’
In their reaction to the President’s national
broadcast, Adeyanju disagreed with Tinubu’s statement that his administration
negotiated in good faith and with open arms with Organised Labour on the new
national minimum wage.
Tinubu during his broadcast stated, “In this
spirit, we have negotiated in good faith and with open arms with organised
Labour on a new national minimum wage. We shall soon send an executive bill to
the National Assembly to enshrine what has been agreed upon as part of our law
for the next five years or less.
“In the face of labour’s call for a national
strike, we did not seek to oppress or crack down on the workers as a
dictatorial government would have done. We chose the path of cooperation over
conflict.
“No one was arrested or threatened.
Instead, the labour leadership was invited to break bread and negotiate toward
a good-faith resolution.
“Reasoned discussion and principled compromise
are hallmarks of democracy. These themes shall continue to animate my policies
and interaction with the constituent parts of our political economy.”
But Adeyanju in a statement dismissed the
President’s assertion, insisting that he might have been misled by his
advisers, noting that two figures- N250,000 from Organised Labour and N62,000
from the government and the OPS- were arrived at and ought to have been
submitted to Tinubu.
According to the NLC official, anything to the
contrary is not only doctored but won’t be accepted by Labour.
The congress maintained its stance on the
N250,000 minimum wage, rejecting the government’s offer of N62,000 as grossly
inadequate.
The statement read in part, “The NLC would
have expected that the advisers of the President would have told him that we
neither reached any agreement with the Federal Government and the employers on
the base figure for a National Minimum Wage nor on its other components.
“Our demand still remains N250,000 only and we
have not been given any compelling reasons to change this position which we
consider a great concession by Nigerian workers during the tripartite
negotiation process.
“We are therefore surprised at the
submission of Mr President over a supposed agreement. We believe that he may
have been misled into believing that there was an agreement with the NLC and
TUC.
“There was none and it is important that we
let the President, Nigerians and other national stakeholders understand this
immediately to avoid a mix-up in the ongoing conversation around the national
minimum wage.
Adeyanju alleged that the labour leaders were
intimidated by security agencies during the minimum wage talks.
“Fully armed soldiers surrounded us while we were in
a negotiation with the government and despite denials; recent statements by
senior officials of the government reaffirmed our fears contrary to the
assurances by the government.
“However, we remain assured that the President’s
democratic credentials will come to the fore in favour of Nigerian workers and
masses,’’ he expressed optimism.
According to the union, the Democracy Day
celebration was an opportunity for the President to demonstrate his love for
Nigerian workers and the masses by shunning the advice that may be coming from
‘’those whose intentions were continuously focused on hurting Nigeria’s poor
and struggling workers.’’
He appealed, “Mr President should not allow
these individuals and groups to sabotage his promise of lifting Nigerian
workers out of poverty.
“The President’s advisers obviously did not tell him
the truth that the leaders of the trade unions were intimidated and harassed.
It is therefore important that Mr President understands that we were threatened
severally by his operatives perhaps without his consent.
“Series of media propaganda calculated to intimidate
and harass us were, and, are still being waged against the trade unions by
senior officials of this government. “
The NLC noted that there was no agreement as regards
the duration of the Minimum Wage Act.
“It is also important that Mr President should know
that most of his officers are working round-the-clock to set up the leadership
of congress and the trade unions.
“We never agreed on a five-year duration of the
Minimum Wage Act, though we acknowledge that the President mentioned five years
or less.
“We also agreed that inflation should be pegged at a
level for a certain amount to be agreed as minimum wage. This is to bring
clarity to what the report should contain.
“Once again, we reiterate that it will be extremely
difficult for Nigerian workers to accept any national minimum wage figure that
approximates a starvation wage. We cannot be working and yet remain in abject
poverty.
“We seek justice, equity, and fairness for all
Nigerians, and this we hope would also drive the actions of Mr President who
promised a Living Wage to Nigerian workers. This is an opportunity to show that
he listens to Nigerians as he promised,” the labour movement said.
Send your articles for
publication to our email, estheroyeyemiassociates@gmail.com
